Goal 1 Healthy Families

Kids in Albany have made new friends, learned new skills and developed into successful adults for years, thanks in part to the programs at the Boys & Girls Club of Albany. The club offers not just after-school activities, but also sports, academic programs and nutritious snacks.

“Currently, our primary focus is to provide academic support to our youth during distance learning,” said John Andersen, executive director. “Throughout the day, while the kids are on their brain breaks, they are given time for sports and recreation. With sitting and being logged into their computers all day, these kids need the opportunity to get their wiggles out and get moving. Many of our youth also do various cultural arts programs as a way to get their creative juices flowing.”

Samaritan’s Linn County Social Accountability Committee has contributed to the club for several years, most recently to the club’s Triple Play Healthy Habits program. The club has used Samaritan funds to provide healthy snacks twice a day to kids in the club’s programs.

Throughout 2020, the club served 11,550 snacks to its members. The club relied heavily on Samaritan funds for these snacks, as its normal funding was not available due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The funds from Samaritan allowed us to purchase multiple nutritional snack options for the kids we serve,” Andersen said. “Kids have a hard time concentrating on their school work when they are hungry. Taking that barrier away allows our kids to be successful in their virtual classrooms. We currently serve breakfast, lunch and two snacks to our members every day.”